TWitM: Asbel Gonzalez wins Carolina League Player of the Month honors

The speedster already had 31 steals.

This Week in the Minors is our weekly look at notable performances from all over the system, from big-name prospects and less-heralded guys alike. The mission is to answer this simple question: “Who had a good week?”

Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers (13-18, 6 games back)

The Storm Chasers split their six games with Indianapolis, holding the Indians to just two runs over the final two games. Nick Pratto had a three-hit day on Wednesday, and hit .412/.444/.647 for the week with two doubles, a triple, and two steals. Infielder Harold Castro was 5-for-14 (.357) with two home runs and 6 RBI. MJ Melendez was 6-for-23 (.261) with two doubles and his second home run. John Rave was 7-for-19 (.368) with a double, two triples, and a home run. Dairon Blanco went 3-for-11 with two steals on rehab assignment.

Starting pitchers continued to struggle for the Storm Chasers. Luinder Avila gave up five runs in four innings on Tuesday, but rebounded on Sunday to give up just one run over six innings. Ryan Brady gave up one run over 4 ¹⁄₃ innings, picking up his first win of the season in relief on Saturday. Evan Sisk pitched three scoreless innings with four strikeouts, earning his second save of the year. The Storm Chasers released outfielder Nick Gordon and pitcher Austin Cox this week, and sent pitcher Ryan Ramsey back to Double-A.

Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals (16-11, first place)

The Naturals took four of six from the Springfield Cardinals this week to maintain a one-game lead in the North Division. Jac Caglianone was 9-for-20 (.450) and smashed two more home runs, doing damage to the building sitting out in right field.

Caglinone is tied for second in the Texas League with six home runs, and he is sixth in wRC+ at 156 with a line of .314/.395/.543. Jordan Groshans has continued to hit for the Naturals, going 5-for-16 to keep his average at .333 for the year. Carter Jensen hit 7-for-26 (.269) with two doubles and his third home run of the year.

Henry Williams was brilliant on Friday with seven strikeouts in seven innings with just one run allowed to improve to 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA. Ethan Bosacker picked up his second win of the year, with five innings on Wednesday with just two runs allowed. Hunter Owen won his first game with six strong innings on Saturday with just two runs allowed.

Kyle Wright gave up two runs - one unearned - with four strikeouts in four innings in his rehab start for the Naturals on Friday. Oscar Rayo pitched twice with 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball and just two hits allowed. Brandon Johnson had two more scoreless outings, striking out six of the seven batters he faced, picking up his fourth and fifth saves of the year.

Peyton Wilson - who has been promoted to Triple-A - was named Texas League Player of the Month for April. Outfielder Connor Scott was placed on the full-season injured list.

High-A Quad Cities River Bandits (18-8, first place)

The River Bandits continue to roll, taking four of six this week from the Great Lakes Loons, to keep their hold on first place. Erick Torres, who at age 20 is the youngest player in the lineup, enjoyed his second four-hit game of the season on Tuesday and is hitting .362/.458/.435 for the year.

Trevor Werner hit 4-for-14 (.286) with a double, triple, two steals, and seven walks. Carson Roccaforte was 5-for-20 (.250) with two doubles and four steals to give him a team high 12 swipes on the year, which is tied for third in the league. Diego Guzman was 4-for-10 (.400) with a double and a steal

Logan Martin continues to roll, picking up a win to improve to 3-1 on Friday. He tossed six innings with just two runs and five strikeouts. He has 27 strikeouts on the year, tied for sixth-most in the Midwest League to go along with his 2.05 ERA. Frank Mozzicato had a wild outing with seven walks but allowed just two hits and one run over four innings to lower his ERA to 1.42, third-lowest in the league. Mozz was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Month for April.

Drew Beam had another stellar start with two runs allowed (one unearned) in five innings with six strikeouts. Shane Panzini tossed four shutout innings on Sunday with seven strikeouts. Mauricio Veliz had two stellar relief outings with five shutout innings, including his second win of the year.

Infielder Justin Johnson was moved up from the River Bandits to Double-A.

Low-A Columbia Fireflies (18-9, first place)

The Fireflies continue to roll, winning five in a row over Hickory before falling in the finale on Sunday 1-0. Outfielder Asbel Gonzalez stole six bases this week to give him 31 for the year, but was eclipsed for the league lead by Tommy Hawke of Lynchburg. Gonzalez continues to set the league on fire, going 9-for-18 (.500) this week, with a line of .404/.513/.436 for the year. He is leading the league in hits, runs, and batting average, and was named Carolina League Player of the Month for April.

Stone Russell was 4-for-15 (.267) with two doubles, two triples, and 5 RBI. Brennon McNair smacked two home runs, and went 5-for-18 (.278) and is third in the Carolina League in slugging (.538). Derlin Figueroa went 6-for-17 (.353) with two triples and a steal. Josi Novas was 7-for-15 (.467) with 5 RBI.

Tanner Jones was sharp Wednesday to earn his second win, going six shutout innings with no walks. Yunior Marte tossed 4 ¹⁄₃ innings of shutout ball on Sunday to earn his first win in a rain-shortened game. Jordan Woods tossed three shutout innings to earn a win on Thursday in relief, and Jarold Rosario retired all six hitters he faced to earn his second save of the year on Friday. Mason Miller continues to dominate out of the pen, with three more shutout innings and seven strikeouts on Tuesday. He is sixth in the league in strikeouts and his 1.25 ERA is third-lowest in the Carolina League.

In other minor league news, the Arizona Complex League season began over the weekend. Some names to watch there include pitchers Kyle DeGroat and David Shields, infielders Yandel Ricardo and Jhonakyer Ugarte, and outfielder Raimel Medina.